News

Myerscough PL: Cleverboy comes up trumps

  • Written By: British Dressage
  • Published: Fri, 06 Apr 2018 09:34 GMT

Lancashire’s Myerscough Arena attracted big entries for the first Premier League competition of the year (27 – 31 March 2018). 

As ever the arena looked fantastic draped with rosettes and garlands following industrial use of staplers and an enormous number of man hours. That, allied with two smart cars from Preston Ssangyong dealers Barkers of Preston and the arena, as ever, looked worthy of a Premier League event.

Nathalie Kayal won the Inter I Freestyle with DHI Cleverboy (pictured), sourced locally from DHI Performance Horses, in fact the last horse that the late Andrew Graham bought out of Holland. The Sandreo x Metall gelding was a last-minute addition to Nathalie’s team for Myerscough after intended entry DHO Bravo picked up an injury. 

“I ended up bringing the ‘B’ team, poor Cleverboy was thrown in at the deep end,” said Nathalie who bought the horse seven years ago not long after his last trip to the Lancashire venue where he competed in the young horse four-year-old qualifier. “He’s only done two PSG classes and that was his first Inter I!”

Nathalie used Bravo’s old music for the freestyle although that too came with its dramas. “It’s an old CD and I’d forgotten the introduction,” explained Nathalie. “I had to halt just as I entered, made up the trot floor pattern and it was just a stroke of luck that I arrived at the right point for the canter! It was well worth the trip up here, this is such a beautifully run show with a lovely atmosphere.”

Cleverboy wasn’t the only ‘local’ to do well, Lancashire based Jess Dunn winning the first of two PSG classes with White Hill Stud’s LG Alicante Valley.

As ever Becky Moody went home from Myerscough with a decent haul of red rosettes, Eureko winning a PSG and the Inter I Freestyle and Carinsio the Grand Prix. “I love coming here,” she said. “Nothing’s too much trouble for the organisers or helpers, they run a great show.”

Jayden Brown was another multiple winner securing an Inter I, an Advanced Medium and the five-year-old young horse qualifier for Mount St John Stud. The latter came via Furstin Totilas, a For Romance half-sister to the great Totilas himself.

Woodcroft Zanzibar won the four-year-old section for Woodcroft Stud ridden by Beth Bexon. The Blue Hors Zack x Don Schufro gelding was bought earlier this year to contest the young horse classes and will ultimately be sold. “He’s the fourth we’ve had by Zack and we really do like them,” said Bernadette O’Sullivan who runs Woodcroft with Tim Harris. “We breed a few foals each year but buy some as well. It’s a ridiculous situation but we struggle to get a foal on the ground over here for the amount we can import one for.”

The six-year-old section went to Sara Gallop riding BKS Fantasia following up her victory in the Grand Prix Freestyle with Summerhouse Bandreo. Fantasia (Furstenball x Rubin Royale) was first spotted by Sara at last year’s LeMieux National Championships. “I saw her working-in and couldn’t take my eyes off her, and as soon as I could I went to try her” said Sara. “She’s one for the future, this is my first show with her and I just love her, she’s super-hot but in a good way.”

Dan Greenwood’s Saracen Horse Feeds Inter I winner Lukien Von Tespe went from zero to hero through the week. His first test resulted in retirement but 12 hours later he finished second in Thursday’s PSG before going on to win the Inter I that evening. “It’s his owner Jo Handman’s birthday today so that’s the best present I could have given her,” said Dan who trains with Kate Cowell.

Kate herself won the Cavalor Inter II with Samba Dancer, riding the Samba Hit II gelding for Chris Richards. “I’m thrilled to get qualification for the Nationals out of the way so early, so we’ll work away at the Grand Prix work and aim to do one before the end of the year,” she said.

The U25 Grand Prix was won by Ryan Todd with his 17-year-old Charlex Eskebjerg.
“I think that’s one of the best tests he’s ever done,” said Ryan who has had the Carano gelding for seven years now. “He’s getting older so I pick and choose where I take him because of his age but he feels better than ever.”

The Myerscough team did a great job as ever, running five full days. “I’m really lucky to have such a great team of helpers and sponsors including Barkers SsangYong dealership, Ken Ettridge and Equestrian Pro TV,” said Kelly Thompson who runs the show. “Without them we’d be struggling and everyone forgets the judges. Due to huge entries we had classes starting at 7.30am and some that finished at 10.30pm and they all kept smiling.”


The winners:

TopSpec Medium 75
Henry Boswell with Fuerteventura, 70.81%

Equine Construction Advanced Medium 98
Jayden Brown with MSJ Top Secret, 70%

Advanced 102 
Emily Harris with Freya FST, 68.97%

Shearwater Young Horse BDYH4
Beth Bexon with Woodcroft Zanzibar, 7.78

Equine Construction Advanced Medium 92
Emily Harris with Freya FST, 67.79%

Equine Construction Advanced Medium 98 Gold
Eilidh Grant with Eranda Retto, 69.61%

Fairfax Saddles PSG (Wednesday)
Jess Dunn with LG Alicante Valley, 69.56%

Saracen Horse Feeds Inter I (Wednesday) 
Jayden Brown with Mount St John De La Beaute, 70%

Shearwater Young Horse BDYH6 
Sara Gallop with BKS Fantasia, 7.84

Fairfax Saddles PSG (Thursday)
Becky Moody with Eureko, 72.41%

Saracen Horse Feeds Inter I (Thursday)
Dan Greenwood with Lukien Von Tespe, 71.75%

U25s Grand Prix 
Ryan Todd with Charles Eskebjerg, 69.81%

Shearwater Young Horse BDYH5
Jayden Brown with Furstin Totilas, 7.88

Cavalor Intermediate II 
Kate Cowell with Samba Dancer, 69.91%

PSG Freestyle 
Natalie Kayal with DHI Clever Boy, 72.33% 

Intermediate I Freestyle
Becky Moody with Eureko, 71.29%

Grand Prix Freestyle 
Sara Gallop with Summerhouse Bandreo, 71.33%

Pony Team Test
Sophie Taylor with George Clooney BS, 73.63%

LeMieux Grand Prix 
Becky Moody with Carinsio, 72.13%

Pony Individual Test
Sophie Williams with Ferrari, 66.28%